Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya (MNAC)

MNAC - "One museum, 1000 Years of Art"

Open Tuesday - Saturday, 10:00am - 7:00pm. 8.50euros, free under 7.

Key things to see:

Romanesque Collection - Many 10th century churches in the Pyrennes were falling down and with them their murals. Murals were used as "cheap bibles" to instruct doubting villages on the basics of faith. There are 21 murals in chronological order.

Find Christ de Tauill (1123) from a 12th century church. Notice the eyes on the angels wings = all-knowing power of God. Notice that the grafitti showing animals, crosses, and labrinyths have been preserved.

In all the murals, you can find Jesus because he has a cross in his halo.

Find Madonna of the Humility - Fra Angelico (1435) Doesn't she look more like a person than in the murals?

Glide under the huge dome (which was once an ice-skating rink) over to the cafeteria.

Ride the glass elevators upstairs to the Modern section (1800s to 1930). Like a catalan Musee d'Orsay.

Look at the photography. Photo-journalism came of age during the Spanish Civil War.

Find the tandem bike (1897. Decorated cafe "Els Quatre Gats" where Picasso held his first exhibition.

Sit on comfy sofas. Oleum restaurant with great city views.

Find Carvans of the Orient murals (1939 Philip Serit). How is this different from the church murals?

Find Gaudi furniture.